Flower Crown
by AnneLaurant
Summary: During a quiet standstill between Kandrakar and Meridian, two lonely souls meet to check on each other, perhaps to affirm that their passion has yet to die out. (Cedrube; mixed cartoon/comic AU.)


Based on a piece by RedDesember.

Reposted from my DA; edited for a few typos.

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The sun had long hidden itself, and the moon had taken its place high up in the dark sky. It was a cloudless night, and the moon had stars for company; silver light cast strong shadows against the ground. Meridian, while in a terrible state under Phobos' tyranny, seemed to be peaceful at this moment.

Alone and in silence, Orube gazed at the sight beyond the cliff she was atop of. Her hands fiddled with the grass and the flowers beneath her every now and then. A pile of about ten or fifteen flower crowns lay on her side. How feminine and delicate, for a warrior of Basiliade.

But, what would a warrior of Basiliade be doing here, in this place and at this time?

One would assume she was on a mission. Perhaps, she was spying. However, there was not a single person in view. The beast of the lake shifted every now and then, listening to the movement on the land. A cool breeze blew and leaves swayed; a stray hugong was scared off by the dancing shadows. No other figure was in sight - the trees, the wildflowers, the ripples on the water...

The water reflected a shadow, slithering through the plains. Perhaps, the warrior was waiting for something, or someone. A predator seeking a certain prey. Perhaps so. Else, why would she carry a sword with her, and why would she keep it within arm's length?

Orube's eyes shifted to the what image she saw on the water. A hand broke free from the flowers, inching closer to the hilt of her sword. Her other hand continued with the task alone, albeit slowing down significantly.

The wind blew once more, masking silent movements in the land. Swiftly, the sword was unsheathed, its blade pointed at a scaly neck. A green tail coiled around the warrior's own neck.

"What's this? Why is someone like you making flower crowns? Then again, I'm not complaining."

Orube lowered her sword and slid it back into its scabbard. The tail unwound itself, moving to caress her cheek and wrap itself around her waist. She looked up. Lord Cedric. Naga shapeshifter; right-hand man of Phobos.

"For what reason would a girl be making flower crowns?" she asked, her fingers feeling his scales.

"I wonder," he answered, "Perhaps so that to be more beautiful. But, do you need that, Orube? Do you need to make yourself more beautiful, when you are already the embodiment of perfect."

"You flatter me, Lord Cedric."

For what reason would the commander of Phobos' army be meeting with an enemy?

Lord Cedric shifted to his human form, and sat beside her. His tail went after him; Orube's hands were suddenly empty, and found themselves clinging on his arm and stroking his chest. She leaned her head on his shoulder. He turned his head, pressing a kiss to her temple.

"Do you not know that you're very much visible under this moon?"

"Wearing white during the night is a guaranteed spell for disaster, is it not?"

"Especially for spies like you."

"Hmph. But, if I wore my red robes, you'd never want to leave me until morning."

"Hm, true."

"Besides, this is my warrior attire. It gives me added speed."

"It still makes you vulnerable."

"Not if I'm not here to fight."

"That's true as well."

Normally, if a man and a woman were together alone, an outsider would think that they were lovers. But, was it normal for enemies to be lovers? It's a common scenario in many tragic stories, was it not? But, no, neither one of them seemed unhappy or distressed.

"So, how are things at the castle?"

"We're leaving for Earth. And you?"

"...too bad. I'm supposed to stay here, until the guardians or the rebel leader comes back."

And, normally, lovers would grow sad at being apart. Was it normal for these two to be unaffected by their distance? Perhaps so. They worked for opposing sides. Naturally, they would have opposing views. So to say, they had a conflict of interest.

No, wasn't it that all couples eventually discover their own conflict of interest? Habits previously unknown, hobbies that become inconvenient, beliefs and rituals that seemed insignificant. Not even the current guardians of Kandrakar were spared from these problems in their own lives; why would a friend and an enemy of theirs not?

Or perhaps, both played blind to their dilemma. The pause grew into silence, with only the grass and the leaves and the wind punctuating it. Neither spoke any word about their previous conversations, nor did they speak of anything else. That was, until Lord Cedric reached for the unfinished flower crown.

"Will you not continue?"

One of Orube's hands left his arm and reached for the flower crown. However, she hesitated, and chose to hold his hand instead.

"I've already made so many."

"Finish this one."

Orube sighed. She started to tear her work apart. Lord Cedric was a little surprised at the action, but he simply let her continue.

"I was already an odd child back then. Instead of preparing for the academy, I was out in our garden, chasing butterflies. Weird, huh?"

"What's wrong with chasing your childhood? But, I suppose in your culture, that's unacceptable."

"And weird. My classmates would go out in the fields, hunting for bugs, rats, and snakes. I made flower crowns. I cried all day, when they showed me what they found. I was teased all week long. That was when I decided, that there would be no more fooling around. I would be the warrior my father wanted me to be."

"Hm..."

Lord Cedric held onto the part of the crown that was left in his hands, and hooked the flowers behind Orube's ear. She flushed at the action. He laughed.

"Hey, that doesn't mean I give you permission to do this. And didn't you say I'm perfect without this?"

"Little Orube crying, bullied for her flower crowns. How sad! If only I could meet her and wipe away her tears, but, dear me, I'm afraid I can't do that. If you don't like the flowers, won't you give it to her?"

The tips of her ears turned red. "Shut up."

And so, they granted themselves some silence. A wolf-like howl resounded from a distance. Bugs wheezed by. Lord Cedric gave a sigh, and tugged his arm free from her hold. He stood and held his hand out; Orube took it to help herself stand as well. He shifted to his naga form; she adjusted the belt of her sword. His claws cupped her cheek; she leaned towards him. In their eyes was pain, yet their pride would never let them say anything that hinted of weakness.

"See you."

With the silver moon and the stars, and the leaves and grass, and the flowers and the breeze their only witnesses (they hoped), they kissed, and parted ways. Warrior or not, Orube was still a girl, and Lord Cedric knew that.

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Original note: I see Orube as unexpectedly very feminine/girly at times. The flower crown thing was actually based on a scene in Wolf Children (please consider watching it if you haven't already). The original scene had the young girl show off how she caught a snake, while her friends were all making flower crowns (needless to say, she scared them off). I kind of switched that up here.


End file.
